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IC Timeline 15/08/2021 - UPPERCUT 02/08/2021 - RUMORS 05/04/2021 - GREED 12/03/2021 - GTA

James Granillo is a Los Santos based Captain or caporegime in the Conti crime family sometimes dubbed the Los Santos crime family. Granillo moved to LS at the young age of twenty to continue his personal success in the food and hospitality sector. Prior to his arrival, he worked in Newark for his uncle's delicatessen. This initial work provided Granillo prolonged exposure to the mafia who frequently visited to collect their weekly extortion fee from his uncle. Like every mob fairy tale, Granillo admired their valuable jewelry and flashy cars. He ultimately moved to LS with the money he had saved; his uncle's delicatessen had been running low on profits, and he was asked to leave, like many others before him, Granillo wanted to start a new life. Upon his arrival he became acquainted with mob associate Julius Leone who introduced him around the city. This friendship with Leone led to Granillo's introduction to mafia star Daniel Santoro, a soldier in the Conti crime family. Granillo impressed Santoro and was offered a job at the notorious Rothstein's Jewelry. David Pillini, one of Santoro's high profile associates was instrumental in structuring Granillo's descent into the criminal underworld. From being a mail-man for high-tier drug transactions to large firearms deals with one of his illicit associates. Pillini later took on Granillo as his personal driver, chauffeuring him around the city. Pillini further showed the ins and outs of mob life to Granillo, later assisting him under his wing until his disappearance a few months after. Santoro further exposed Granillo to innumerable underground dealings from drug trafficking to pimping. It is widely perceived that Granillo had taken over the notorious escort service once run by Nicholas Trisano - Vinewood Escorts. However, as the age old saying goes in that history repeats itself, Granillo had recently undertaken management of Al Dente's pizza parlor where he based a fraction of his operations. Granillo owned The Crooked Lounge, the building behind his underworld cognomen. East Vinewood, more specifically York Street was where Granillo spent most of his time, furthering his sphere of power under the late caporegime, Daniel Santoro. Al Dente's having left his grasp, he based the majority of his operations from the comfort of his bar. Granillo was instrumental in conducting considerable criminal tasks of his own, garnering the respect of his peers. With the return of Pillini, James' friend and mentor, the duo had come to be what they formerly were. On the night of August 27th, 2020, James Granillo and David Pillini, along with other associates, were inaugurated into the crime family as official members or soldiers. James served under caporegime, Daniel Santoro. On the day of January 23rd, 2021, James Granillo was made caporegime with David Pillini, Michael Farina and Peter Moro as his soldiers, or made-men. Later in the year, with the death of Peter Moro, came the induction of several new members, most notably Julian Mancini, Marco Mancini and Adam Costa all of whom joined the ranks of Granillo's crew. This thread follows James Granillo's story and end.

This thread will showcase the development of various characters.

The thread will follow Michael's development. Michael is a young Italian-American in his mid 20's and he was born in Los Santos. His father died when he was in early teens, his mother was sick and she could not work. So, as every good kid, he started working to survive with his mother. She would tear up every time he'd bring money home. He felt happy to be able to help his mother, two years later, his mom passed away and he was left alone. He felt very sad for the few weeks but he could not change the fact that they died. He's living alone and he is working different types of jobs to earn money. Michael Calabrese in 2019, three days before his birthday:

Roy Scala MUGSHOT TAKEN 04TH JULY 2021, ACCUSED OF FRAUD AND DRUG TRAFFICKING TYPE A Early Life Roy J. Scala was born in Philadelphia, PA on May 27, 1987 into a working-class Italian American family. Scala's family have lived in South Philadelphia for generations and this is where he also grew up. His father, Anthony Scala, provided for his family as a concrete mason worker. During the 1990s, Scala's father fell into gambling debts with the Philly Mob for several years. His father shielded his family from the financial troubles true cause, claiming that he was simply finding problems with better paying employment. Starting in 2000, at age 13, Scala attended meetings with counsellors and psychiatrists at the behest of his mother. This came after he complained about intrusive obsessions, anxiety and paranoia. Scala sought mental health care for a year until his father abruptly cancelled the proceedings. It's thought that Scala's father was harshly judgmental towards mental illness, going as far as claiming that it was a fabrication of society. His father also didn't want to be judged through supposedly having abnormalities in the family. Scala never received the treatment he needed, and resultantly by his late teens, had developed Paranoid Personality Disorder. Scala graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 2004. While attending high school, he earned three scholarships for universities in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware. From 2005 - 2009, Scala attended the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He completed a Bachelor's degree in Business Marketing. During his time in university, Scala took up bodybuilding while continuing his athletic career from high school. Scala was a member of the Jefferson Rams rowing and track & field teams from 2006 - 2009. His time as a student athlete saw him train and compete in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida. Scala's 2008 rowing competition in Sarasota, FL captivated him with Florida's state culture, society and weather. He was therefore motivated to attend the University of Miami from 2010 - 2012, where he earned a Master's Degree in Business Marketing West Coast involvement in La Cosa Nostra Scala moved to Los Santos, SA in 2013, a year after earning his Master's Degree in Miami. Leading up to the move, he had struggled with relevant employment while a childhood friend, Gregory Aparo, invited him to Los Santos. Aparo is suspected by Los Santos police of being associated with the Martorano crime family. Whether or not Scala also became involved isn't publicly known. In the meantime, Scala was working as a marketer in Miami's corporate world, but quickly came to dislike the work. Scala became aggressively greedy after arriving in Los Santos. Desperate to carve a living out for himself in an increasingly unequal and unstable economy, he used questionable people to reach this goal. In particular, Scala acquainted himself with reputed Martorano mobster Dominick Garfaci through Gregory Aparo. Under the watch of Garfaci, Scala orchestrated a betting scheme out of his leased-out Vespucci Mega Bets store. He is now accused of raking in $300,000 USD from the scheme, sometime around Mid-2021. Shortly after, he dropped the lease from Vespucci Mega Bets and used extra money to purchase a legitimate business. In 2021, he was recorded as being the proprietor of Oldie But Goodie, an electric appliance store in Vespucci.

Anthony Trupiano first captured in FBI surveillance photos Anthony Trupiano spotted enter a meet with reported organized figure entering a bar in Philadelphia Paul Migliaccio Anthony Trupiano exiting a Philadelphia court room after his case headed to mistrial, Anthony was facing gambling and drug trafficking charges Trupiano has maintained a low profile in the years since

“Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.” Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince. Early Life. John Santapaola Jr. was born on the 19th of April 1981 in South Philadelphia Pennsylvania, making him 39 years of age. His Father, John Santapaola Sr. was an associate of the Philadelphia Crime Family (PCF), under Fat Andy Giordano, a buttoned member of the family. John saw a hard up-bringing, coming from a working class background, his father would spend the majority of his time in bars and clubs ran by the various members and associates of the PCF. John grew up around made-men and ruthless gangsters from all over the East Coast, this quickly taught John about the life and it's malignant nature. At the age of 13 John's mother died of a heart attack, quickly turning his father down a destructive and alcoholic path. John Sr. was a renowned hit-man and loan-shark in Philadelphia, he began beating John regularly, the infliction of which sparked interested in his father's associates, instigating both John's first success in deceit, and his first major interest in becoming a part of the life. One of his father's friends had asked him where he had obtained his injuries, from which he told him that it was done by a school bully, that child's father was proceeded to be beaten in front of his child. Unbeknown to all but John, that kid wasn't a bully, he in fact was being bullied by John. This interaction showed John the fear that can be inflicted simply by the way you carry yourself, the respect people show you, and whilst his father started to take a steep nose dive, John started to make his climb. At the age of 15 John was working in multiple mob-owned businesses, he trained in a boxing gym owned by his uncle who also owned a body shop where John learned how to work on vehicles, specifically chopping vehicles to gather their valuable resources. John showed promise in boxing, and he competed on an amateur level for years, a long side this he was brought into a crew, chopping the cars that his crew would boost around the city, eventually turning out to be a highly profitable venture for both John and his uncle, Larry Santapaola. Just as John's career started to take off, his father was arrested and indicted on multiple murder and racketeering charges. Now at the age of 18, John had to quickly adapt to being alone, he began working closer with his relatives, his uncle Paul who was a known drug trafficker in Philadelphia brought John under his wing, giving him small delivery jobs to keep him afloat. Before his arrest. Before John was arrested at the age of twenty four, he had been working for various people tied to the Philadelphia Crime Family, including numerous uncles and one notable associate of the family, Joseph Campo. John was still fighting on an amateur level, starting to gain some recognition around Philadelphia with a boxing record of 15-3, making his MMA debut at the age of 20 with a record of 9-2. John was involved in some loan-sharking skits, due to his size and aggressive nature, they mostly went down smoothly, however John was not phased by bloodshed, it was something that slowly became natural to him and the life he lead. John often found himself doing the jobs that people have nightmares about, cutting up bodies, leaving them unidentifiable. On the 23rd of July 2005, Larry Santapaola, John's uncle who had been running a small-time vehicle chopping operation in Philadelphia was arrested for multiple racketeering charges. Larry informed the police about multiple operations around the city, leading to the arrest of multiple associates of the Philadelphia Crime Family, John being one of them. On the 30th of October 2005, John Santapaola was arrested and indicted for extortion, drug trafficking and theft related charges. Greensburg state correctional institution. John spent fifteen years in state penitentiary before being released in early 2020. He spent the majority of his time in prison working out, reading, and writing. Finding himself heavily inspired by the works of Machiavelli, Robert Nozick, Thomas More, Albert Camus, and many more authors. His time in prison changed him, making friends with people who had lived a life that John dreamt of living, real gangsters with real stories. He quickly became friends with the prison librarian, a 65 year old wise-guy who had served as a solider in the Colombo Crime Family who quickly taught John a lot about the way of life, teaching him about honour and respect. Freedom and Los Santos. John was released from prison on the 3rd of January 2020, coming back to Philadelphia he noticed his connections had run short and his time had passed. After attempting multiple failed re-introductions into the life in Philadelphia, John quickly found word that an old friend of his, Joseph Campo had moved to Los Santos with an agenda, John quickly followed suit, moving to Los Santos, San Andreas. John's first project in Los Santos was reviving a local gym, where he currently still works as the director. John is currently a part of The Philadelphia Connection, a Vespucci based crew in Los Santos. “If you give me six sentences written by the most innocent of men, I will find something in them with which to hang them.” Armand Jean du Plessis Richelieu ( Character development screenshots will be posted below.)

This thread will follow the character development of Gabriel Messina in The Conti Crime Family.

(The content seen below and throughout is not to be taken into in character aknowledgement and conversation. It is solely a thread to provide context as well as media that depicts the development of James Provenzano's character). James (Jimmy) Provenzano Jr. (born September 10th, 1990) is an inducted member of the Martorano crime family. He was arrested and charged with racketeering on April 18. Personal life Born in San Diego, James was raised in a household that preserved its native culture despite the fact that both his parents (Maria & James Sr. Provenzano) were second generation. James’ family celebrated the culture within San Diego’s Little Italy and held tightly to it, within everyday life and yearly events such as the Little Italy Festa held in October. James Sr. was a part of the Little Italy Neighborhood Association, an organisation that was responsible for maintaining low crime rates as well as looking after trash collection, special events, and community outreach. As well as this, his father ran a small salon business and his mother was an employee of said business. James Jr’s grandparents were popular among the farmers markets within Little Italy for their seafood. From a young age, James played soccer competitively, participating in the local soccer leagues hosted by the US Youth Soccer National League. An out-right box-to-box midfielder, James was scouted in his early teens and moved up to the Golden Valley League during his tenure through middle & high school. The future was bright for the young, talented athlete who was making waves within the community for his engine that he brought to the field; plenty of stamina to give alongside a killer eye for a deadly pass behind the defense. After the passing of James Jr’s father in 2006 he became a social recluse and opted to take care of his grieving mother. Provenzano Jr. later left the family home. Death of James Provenzano Sr. On a winter’s night in 2006, James Sr. Provenzano drowned unexpectedly at approximately 12:30 in the morning, swallowed up by the aggressive winter current on the Sweetwater channel whilst under the influence of alcohol. His body was recovered two weeks later after an investigation launched for the well-known James Sr. among his community. Mourning began within Little Italy, a minute’s silence was held among the mercato. The death of her husband left Maria severely devastated, and she struggled to recover. Los Santos early years James revisited soccer years after his father's passing. James reached out to previous coaches and teachers and requested letters of recommendation to ULSA so that he could enroll on a scholarship program. The University of San Andreas, Los Santos, accepted James Jr. Provenzano for a grad coach scholarship program. Thus, James moved into the campus of ULSA and pursued a career in traditional sports coaching, specifically in soccer. Two years into his studies, James became a product of the college culture that at the time surrounded ecstasy escapades and other class A drugs. James was caught dealing an eighth of cocaine to a neighboring student in their dorm hall. The mishap was caught on camera after suspicions had arisen due James’ lack of aptitude. After two years at ULSA, James dropped out. He began couch surfing shortly after his depature from ULSA, brushing shoulders with criminally minded individuals. Eager to maintain a champagne lifestyle with lemonade money, James worked casual labor jobs involving but not limited to: forklift driving, heavy machinery operation, construction, delivery driver etc. All whilst cliquing up with some of Los Santos' amateur underworld figures. At 22 years old James connected with a Chinese-American drug dealer named Kingsley Chiu and began couriering drugs into San Fierro for Kingsley’s crew, who had tight-knit relations with the Wo On Lok, or Water Room Gang, a notorious Triad. Feeling the heat, Kingsley Chiu slowed down operations, which inevitably left James out of pocket. The Martorano crime family Associate James Provenzano linked with Ralph Sciandra, a known affiliate of the Martorano crime family. The pair, alongside Frank Ida, formed a formidable partnership that began to make waves in Vinewood's show business. An ESPN contracted, pay-per-view, mixed martial arts event held at The Rockford Dome under Ralph Sciandra was a monumental success and inevitably catapulted the trio into Vinewood's circle of nightlife tycoons. This later encouraged James Provenzano to muscle his way into a business lease for the popular nightclub Tequi-La-La. James Provenzano and Frank Ida masterminded a complex credit card fraud scheme that takes in an estimated $40,000 per week. The scheme involves purchasing gas using fraudulant information, obtained and administered by Melody Hadley, Frank Ida's girlfriend. Murders Becoming more and more integrated within the ranks of the Martorano crime family, James Provenzano began to commit and act as an acomplice on a series of murders. Ralph Nedra, a known associate of Nathaniel Agro was shot and killed in James Provenzano's home by Provenznao himself. Domenick Cessaro was murdered by Nathaniel Agro in Provenzano's vehicle and thereafter took part in the burial. Victoria Miller, LSNN reporter, was pronounced missing on March 16; Provenzano was an accomplice to Miller's murder. During the tensions within Vinewood between the Martorano crime family and a Eurasian organized crime group, Provenzano murdered two Armenian associates. Club Malibu, one of Los Santos' most renown nightclub was burnt down in an arson attack headed by James Provenzano, understandably in relation to the war in Vinewood between several illegal outfits. Made Man James Provenzano was inducted into the Martorano family per Ralph Sciandra's recommendation. Shortly after Provenzano's initiation, he was arrested and charged for racketeering and involvement in organized crime.

The Ashland Ave Connection The Ashland Ave Connection is a group of one initiated member and associates of the Chicago Outfit expanding their illegal, and legal revenues into Blaine County, San Andreas. Specifically around Paleto Bay. With a goal to build up their influence in North San Andreas, these men from the Outfit have been sent to be the primary source of income for the Chicago Outfit on the west coast of the United States. The Great Arrival In the late 19th Century, the whole peninsula of Italy was brought under one flag but the land and people were by no means unified. There was violence and chaos regularly and poverty was widespread, the richest of areas were even finding the struggles. The government was in no position to help its people and eventually many Italians overheard chants about the 'American Dream', where boatloads of Italy’s people moved to America in an event known as 'The Great Arrival' which lasted from 1880-1920. During those five decades, it was just numerous Italian-American gangs that preyed on each other in their own neighborhoods and once prohibition was ratified in 1919-1920 it only made things worse. Once the gangs realized the large amounts of money they could make from the production and distribution of alcohol, many of them started to surge in power and money. Two gangs in specific grew exponentially, causing a bloody power struggle to break out in an event known as the 'Castellammarese War' in the 1920's. The smaller gangs had limited involvement but took the opportunity to take over their own territory. Many Italians were involved in the smuggling of alcohol, and some even got invited to Chicago to participate in a Canadian bootlegger/smuggling operation. One of the few invited were Al Capone and his work during prohibition quickly shot him through the hierarchy, becoming the boss of the Chicago Outfit in 1925. The Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit smuggled alcohol for many years, until Al Capone got sentenced for tax evasion in 1931 and until Frank Nitti got released in 1932 and started taking the Outfit into other rackets such as labor racketeering, gambling, and loansharking due to the decline of prohibition. This was when the Outfit expanded into surrounding U.S cities such as those in San Andreas. At the time one of those cities was Los Santos, where some muscle from the Outfit were caught red-handed trying to shake down the Vinewood movie industry and even got caught up in a plot to take over Vinewood itself, getting sentenced to almost a decade in prison. This caused Nitti to commit suicide before his trial. Two new bosses emerged after that incident, Ricca and Accardo, (a rare instance of shared power in LCN) both of these men operated behind the scenes in complete secrecy, utilizing a front-boss at all times from former members of the Forty-Two Gang. By staying behind the scenes, these two lasted far longer than Al Capone, but the Outfit suffered many more hardships which eventually led to its decline. The Decline The 60’s were the height of the Outfit due to Accardo using the Teamsters pension fund to engage in massive money laundering through the Outfit’s casinos, but the 70’s and 80’s were the Outfit at their lowest. Law enforcement continued to apply pressure on the organization, Off-Track betting cut bookmaking profits, and illicit casinos couldn’t keep up with the competition from legitimate ones. Many rackets such as auto theft, sports betting, extortion, etcetera didn’t make up for lost profits. Many key components of the Outfit were also lost, such as Allen Dorfman who ran money embezzlement operations when he was investigated by the Department of Justice. The FBI wire-tapped Dorfman’s personal and company phone lines, gathering enough evidence to convict him and several associates of attempting bribery on a state senator to get rid of the trucking industry rates. If Dorfman succeeded, the Outfit would have regained all of its lost profits and then some. This incident was dubbed Operation Pendorf and was a huge blow to the Chicago Outfit. Operation GAMBIT (GAMBling ATtorney) was another crippling blow to the Outfit, this time to its influence on politics in the First Ward, which represented most of downtown Chicago. Pat Marcy ran the First Ward, fixing cases from traffic violations to murder. Mafia Attorney and associate, Robert Cooley, was one of those who represented many clients in fixed cases. Cooley was a made guy and as a result he was asked to whack a city police officer, leading him to contact the Organized Crime Task Force, declaring "I'd like to help you destroy the First Ward. I want to help you destroy Pat Marcy." The FBI immediately made Cooley a cooperative informant, sending him back to the First Ward wearing surveillance equipment. Cooley recorded many conversations with Marcy and other associates at the ‘First Ward Table’, which resulted in the conviction of 24 corrupt judges, lawyers, and cops. Accardo died in 1992, completely avoiding the inside of a cell his whole life by being a “shadow boss” and unlike the 5 families in New York, the transition from Accardo to the next generation of Outfit bosses was actually seamless and without struggle. The hardships were far from over though, as from 1999-2005 many investigations were made against the outfit such as Operation Family Secrets, in which Frank Calabrese Jr. and Nick Calabrese, son and brother of Frank Calabrese Sr., testified against him which led to the incarceration of Frank Sr. as well as over 14 made men and associates. The Ashland Ave Crew and Operation Family Secrets Upon becoming a caporegime in 1998, Lewis Palazzi assumed control of the Ashland Ave crew in the greater metropolitan area of Chicago. Overseeing a wide range of illegal activities from a mob affiliated record store. As years went by, the Ashland Ave crew began to bring in a new generation of associates working under the outfit in an attempt to regain their power and control in Chicago. In 2002, a large portion of the crew were picked up in a conspiracy of arson after a local shop owner refused to pay his debt owed to the mob. Leading to multiple associates turning witness against multiple inducted members of the crew. Little were they aware, Operation Family Secrets had been going on for years. A 43 page indictment against the outfit being presented in April 2005. Leading to conviction of Joseph Lombardo in 2007. At this point the FBI had put it's foot down on the Outfit and the organization had been placed under heavy surveillance. More and more members were being rounded up as the years went by. Landing a major blow to a large portion of income the outfit was bringing in legally and illegally. In 2008, Palazzi and most of his top men would be indicted on multiple counts of racketeering. Destroying most of the leadership of the Ashland Ave crew and leadership being passed over to long time soldier Roman Franchetti, who then became an acting capo. The Spring Indictment With most of the Ashland Ave Crew incarcerated, the financial situation under Franchetti's leadership began to decline more and more. Eventually leading the crew to discuss new markets of revenues. Leading to them moving into the drug distribution industry. In the old days, narcotics were frowned upon trade within La Cosa Nostra, and any involvement being a death sentence for any members despite status. With support of the bosses, Franchetti would move on to host a ceremony, inducting a new line of members into the outfit. Using them to establish a connection with other wiseguys in South Florida to begin their first step into the drug business. The first three years went smooth, the crew bringing in enough income that they didn't know what to do with it. All seemed good until an associate was killed in a transaction gone wrong. Leading to CPD acquiring and downloading the cellphone of the deceased. After discovering that there may be mob involvement in the Chicago drug trade, all evidence was passed up to the FBI. Starting an investigation on the Ashland Ave Crew. In 2012, an undercover sting was set up on Johnathan Capozzi while he was planning to pick up a shipment to bring back to Chicago. Unbeknownst to the FBI, he wouldn't make it to the deal due to being arrested the morning of for assault after a fight following a traffic accident. Ultimately sabotaging most of the operation to catch him with the narcotics in hand. Unfortunately, they had enough evidence to land a case of conspiracy on him. Upon his release the next day, federal agents would swarm the Metrowest Detention Center. Bringing Capozzi in and hitting him with conspiracy to distribute. Losing Capozzi put a major dent in the crews’ distribution ring, leaving Franchetti in a bad financial spot with the bosses of the outfit. After scrambling to try and repair the connection with South Florida, he began to act off of impulsive behavior. Setting up a meeting and flying down to Florida to meet with the distributors himself. Unaware of how heavy the FBI were surveilling his movements. Now that Franchetti was directly involved, the FBI started to take action. Rounding up multiple associates in Florida and Chicago linked to him, eventually starting their process of indictment against the soldier using all evidence they could find on their operations. In the spring of 2013, the indictment came down. Federal agents rounded up another round of members of the Ashland Ave Crew including Franchetti. Once again sticking a knife in the back of the outfit's operations in the criminal underworld. The Move to Paleto Bay After the spring indictment, most of the Ashland Ave crew began to fall apart. Their soldier and most of their associates had been locked up or ongoing rackets absorbed by the greater Grand Ave crew. After multiple court appearances from Franchetti and his boys, a large portion of evidence was deemed unworthy in the eyes of the federal justice system due to bribery and the FBI rushed to gain any evidence they thought would have a lead. After his final court appearance, Roman Franchetti was sentenced to eight years in prison with three years served due to tax evasion and conspiracy to launder money. The rest of his crew facing time were all slapped with similar charges, leaving Ashland Ave mainly defunct. In 2019, Johnathan Capozzi was finally released after serving seven years from his conspiracy case in Florida. Returning to the streets of Chicago and sharing the position of acting capo with Anthony Brusco. The two attempted to return the crew to its previous state, a large array of internal affairs with the other crews under the outfit following along. After almost two years of power struggles and chaos, the bosses finally decided to step in. Putting the remaining members of the Ashland Ave crew temporarily on the shelf until a resolution to the issues could be found. Much speculation and many debates took place over the first months of 2021, the boss of the outfit finally reached a verdict and called forth all of the men from Ashland Ave. As of the early twenties, like many families the outfit has placed itself in many legitimate businesses. Having a foothold in construction, real estate, and other similar affairs across the country. After the mess in the 80s, trying to repair their reach across the states has proved to be a difficult task and their limited manpower has crippled their actions even within the Windy City. To avoid a war that would risk any more of their numbers, the suggestion to send Ashland Ave to the west coast to explore lost business ventures was suggested. A specific town called Paleto Bay coming under the limelight. Due to the soon expected release of Roman Franchetti, members of the crew set out to inspect Paleto. There they prepare to move their operations into the city to bring further revenue back to the outfit and avoid pressure from the federal government. Here, the long and hard journey for the crew begins. OOC Section The Ashland Ave Connection aims to portray a completely fictional yet realistic La Cosa Nostra family in GTA World’s San Andreas. This faction takes inspiration from real western crime families while taking liberties of their own for creativity and originality. A big factor we wish to display is the politics of LCN and organized crime around it. Open to being very interactive and giving anyone we come across an authentic experience of dealing with the American mob. For all that wish to take part, we will be following a strict canvas of rules to make sure all roleplay is kept to an authentic level while also being fun for everyone apart of the organization or around it. One very important reminder to anyone who intends to make a Italian character is that we will not condone off the boat characters. A high majority of Italian Americans do not speak or know Italian besides basic phrases, being said that any use of the Italian language to powergame hiding conversations or talk shit on people will not be tolerated at all. Anyone who joins this faction has been warned. Faction leadership reserves the right to CK (Character Kill) anyone in the faction and we in turn ensure we won’t kill characters under any circumstances without valid reasons. Screenshots are posted with the approval of leadership. More information on the faction, and inquires to become part of the faction or any issues regarding it can be directed to the following person(s) on the forums or Discord: Mac Aodhagain#0858 proxywire#0484 Moose#9395 @TheMac_Aodhagain @ChillZoner173 @Mooseicles https://discord.gg/TynwXfcrSA - Official Faction Discord.

Bookmaking Operations in the 21st Century Scott Meisner • Los Santos Daily News • 29th April, 2021 Sports Betting is ingrained in U.S Culture The desire to bet on sports has a long history in the United States, dating back to 1665 when the first horse racetrack was built. This has historically been captured through the illegal sports betting market, with placed bets measuring around $150 billion last year (based on government-commissioned reports). The dynamic changed when the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018, allowing states to legally offer sports betting. Since then, 22 states and the District of Columbia have legalized athletic wagering, and we expect another 17 states will do so by 2023. How do the laws regarding legality look like in the State of San Andreas? The California Gambling Law, Regulations and Resource Book states that residents of California must be 21 years of age or older to part-take in online casinos, gambling lounges, or sportsbooks. It also states that at this time, it is illegal to start your own gambling business in this state (S.A. would be the same). With the rise of online gambling and legalization of sports betting spreading to more and more States, why is the regular street bookie still relevant? Until there is a betting shop on every street corner in the U.S, bookies will still be the go-to guys. Why is that so? •ACCESSIBILITY Working with a bookmaker, you have the ability to place down a bet immediately. A bookie offers benefits that an online casino generally wouldn't be able to offer. Got your hands on some insider information regarding a team, and you wanna change your bet in the last couple of minutes before the game start? You're free to do so. A bookmaker offers flexible betting hours, along with fast responses. •CREDIT Gambling will always be driven by the customer. The guy that has no money in his pocket is still gonna call the local bookmaker to bet, because he could bet with no money. Bookmakers offer flexible credit policies, suiting the gambler. Other Comments The whole concept of sports betting may be confusing for some however I recommend you to try it out and you'll get the hang of it. In my opinion, it's an underrated type of gambling roleplay which lags severely behind the regular types of gambling like poker or blackjack. People like to get hung up on the Mafia aspect of this, and would rather not risk their money. This is being done on a somewhat of a Mafia-connected character, however most bookies in the U.S have some connection to organized crime, whether that be for protection purposes or some other benefits. Credits to Anthony Scuopo of LS-RP for the thread layout idea.

Development thread of Victor & Ray Magana. Born and raised in Queens, New York City, the Magana siblings, otherwise known as "The Twins", are long-standing associates of the Bonanno crime family and in particular soldier Mark Grisante. They first caught his eye following the success of a daring robbery, that involved his son-in-law Gregory Tracero. Since then, they have continued to gain the trust of mafia figures — that include Anthony Valeri — with their knowhow around robbery and illegal gambling, among other activities. While the siblings' appearances are mirror reflections, their personalities are easily distinguishable; Victor, a college graduate in finance, is more calculated and level-headed, while Ray, a high school drop-out, is more rash and impulsive. In this regard, some would consider Ray to be the negative influence. Aside from their appearances, though, what the siblings also have in common is their willingness for violence and intimidation — a mentality much admired by their mob supervisor.

Following the development of Frank Marinelli FRANK MARINELLI DOB: 24/03/1996 POB: Los Santos, SA

The following thread follows the character development of Roy Pagano

The Mo-Town Boys & Arthur "Artie Squish" Scordo Detroit has always been a mob settlement, ever since the days of Old Man Zerilli and his predecessors. The organization, also known as "Detroit Partnership" or Zerilli Crime Family has operated in a small, yet tight-knit fashion, having very few defections and/or turncoats. According to 2011 data, the Detroit Partnership consists of around 50 made mafia members and an unknown number of associates. One of those associates is a gangster by the nickname of Arthur "Artie Squish" Scordo. He's been known by this nickname because he's known to "squeeze money out of anything". Although being one of the more low-key figures within the Detroit mob, Squish has several arrests under his name including several charges of assault, counterfeiting. Despite not being an inducted member of the Detroit Partnership, Squish has built a reputation within the group. His biggest five minutes of fame came in 2017 when he was caught in a scheme which involved stealing clothes from the "Diabetes Canada" donation drop boxes, moving them to Detroit and selling them at dollar stores. Even though investigators discovered links to several other mob organizations involved in this scheme, namely the Genovese family and the Philly mob, who also involved themselves in Squish's scheme, the indictments were dropped after a procedural mistake was discovered in court. George "Boopsie" Marra, Genovese associate (left); Artie Squish (middle), Phil Narducci; Philly mob member (right); Following the long-fought court battle, Artie Squish has moved to San Andreas to set up something fresh. Considering his ties to the Detroit Partnership as well as figures in other borgatas, he's sure to be capable of a whole new operation. Soon after basing himself in the San Andreas metropolis, Scordo recruited two war veterans of Irish descent who now reside in Blaine - Aaron "Bull" Reagan and to help muscle his operations. It is likely more criminals will be called in to aid in this venture. This new organized crime group has interests not only in the city, but also in the Blaine County area, specifically Paleto Bay. The million dollar question, however, is if Artie Scordo is on his own or bankrolled by the Detroit mob or one of the New York families. Which ever case, he is definitely a person to watch. Within the criminal underbelly, this new creation is sometimes referred to as the "Scordo crew" by non-LS criminals or "Mo-Town Boys" by the LS criminals. ((This is an unofficial group, it will mainly focus on Arthur "Artie Squish" Scordo and his crew of modern mafiosi. All of the roleplay will be kept to the highest standard and realism. We aim to create an unique and raw portrayal of organized crime figures. A major point of this faction is to portray the more unique of schemes that organized crime involves itself in. Any inquiries, criticisms and suggestions can be forwarded to Copa Cabana's private messages.))

This will showcase the development of John Bellanti, an Italian-American 35-year-old male, connected with the small-time Alberici Crime Family from New York. ( Picture taken: Early 2000's. ) (( The character thread/story will be updated once in a while due to events that's been taking place In-Character )) Short background story about J.B: John Bellanti is an Italian-American 35-year old from Bronx, New York City. He grew up in Little Italy with his mother and father under the mob's heydeys. John was heavily inspired by the mob in his teenage years. He was interested in studying law but at the same time, he was stealing, scamming, and robbing. This behavior started to become like an addiction. John was great in school but he was hanging out with the wrong people, for too long. He quickly saw through his teenage years that making money illegally was the easiest income. Through the years he's learned how to make money in stealing and selling vehicles, such as cars and bicycles. He's learned different scamming schemes and he's got a few robberies on his hands. John was slowly working his way up in the underworld, in the same neighborhood he grew up in. John involved himself with similar people to him, eventually ending up working for a notorious organized crime group in Bronx, New York. The years passed and John Bellanti was a part of this crime group, Patriello's Crew, who were a sub-crew of the small-time Alberici Crime Family, as an associate. He spent time in jail a couple of times and eventually ended up with a prison sentence. After John's release from prison, he was inducted into the official crime family as a made man. He had his own crew going with associates Anthony Fiumara and Salvatore Giugliano and a couple of others. John Bellanti was at this time working part-time with Waste Management and part-time Construction, at the same time having this huge headache running his own crew, causing organized crime around New York. Work Background: John finished school with high school education and got a job within the fish market. He worked at the fish market for almost 2 years until he got himself a job in the Waste Management industry, part-time. John Bellanti was working part-time with Waste Management driving their trucks and picking up trash, and part-time studying Law. John eventually dropped out of Law school and got into the Construction industry with the help of his father's union connections. Now, J.B was working in both Construction and Waste Management. Moving to Los Santos: A couple of years later, John and his childhood friends and associates of his crew, Salvatore Giugliano and Anthony Fiumara gets a call from his supposedly at that time: Boss, to move to Los Santos for a fresh start. The small-time Alberici Crime Family’s streetboss needed a crew set up in Los Santos under John Bellanti's command, to expand their organized crimes across the country. They leave their lives behind in New York and moves within a couple of months. To this day, John Bellanti, Anthony Fiumara and Salvatore Giugliano are all within the construction business full-time, having schemes and illegal organized incomes on the side, trying to make a name for themselves and expand Alberici’s Crime Network around Los Santos under John Bellanti’s commands, being bumped up to a Captain within the Family. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION Hello. This guide is meant for people who want to realistically portray a modern-day Italian-American mobster. This guide is still a work in progress and receives updates over time. The final form of it is meant to cover all aspects of LCN roleplay and to be the main lighthouse for those who are new to this RP and those who need extra guidance. Chapter 1: Creating a Character Name: Selecting a correct name is essential. How do you know what names are correct and which ones aren't? First of all, you want to have an American first name and an Italian surname. Secondly, you want to make sure that the last name you select is NOT famous or even worse - the lastname of a known mafioso. You can do this by simply entering your surname into a Google search. You don't know what names you want? You may use Fantasynamegenerator website or any other to generate both American and Italian names. Examples of good names: Steven Gialano, Peter Scaldi, Harold Galifani ect. Age: Since you will be starting up fresh in the criminal underbelly of sunny Los Santos, it's best if you roleplay a young guy 18-28 years old. That is the perfect age for you to be worth something already. Sure, you can be older, but remember that being older will not grant you any perks. You must also take into account your character's position. If you are starting a faction or joining one that will give you a high rank (underboss/captain), you might want to start with an older character. Background: You must form a solid background for your character before even approaching this sort of roleplay. It will help you know your character better and will also make a good impression OOCly on the faction you are attempting to join. It is recommended that your background is that of a struggling person as NOBODY joins organized crime out of boredom. You must also have your reasons for willing to take the extra step, wether its greed, desperate need to put bread on your family table, hunger for power, path of revenge or anything else. Appearance: Take whatever you've seen in the movies, grab it by the neck and toss it off the roof of a 12 story building. These days mafiosi dress like your casual civillian. Nothing that draws attention. You have full creative freedom on anything past that. As far as vehicles go, always pick something simple that does not draw any attention. Avoid sportscars at all costs. Mobsters do not want to be noticed by the IRS so they will often hide their wealth. Personality: Before you come up with your character’s personality as a mobster, you first and foremost need to come up with it as a human being. Always keep in mind that even the most hardened criminals are, at the end of the day, humans just like everybody else. They all have their quirks, their flaws, their own priorities and life concerns. Considering you will spend a good chunk of time yapping with your fellow gangsters about simple things unrelated to crime, having a fleshed out backstory is key. Maybe your character’s wife divorced him recently and paying alimony annoys him to no end, maybe your character’s son is going to study law school and he can’t wait to tell everyone about it, maybe your character is having a bad day ever since he poured a cup of coffee out on his favorite shirt in the morning. It is all in your hands, just be creative and realistic. Chapter 2: Ranks and mechanics of a LCN faction Hierarchy: The hierarchy of LCN factions is rather simple to understand. Below is an image of a hierarchy tree of a typical LCN family as well as descriptions of each specific rank and their duties in the organization. Rank explanation - Boss: The highest position in the family. He gets a cut of all the operations the family is involved in and has full control over each part of the organization. Bosses come in different forms, some choose to be a dictator that keeps all of the hard-earnt money from the family, others tend to be more charitable and treat their underlings good as well as re-investing the money into the family. All the captains in the family elect a new boss once the old one is gone, however sometimes a person may take the position by force and influence. Despite being the CEO, a boss can not lay their hands on another made man. They may issue fines or even order a hit as punishment, but it has to be with proper reason. Rank explanation - Consigliere: Also known as an advisor, a person of this position has a direct line to the thoughts of the boss and often is an older member of the family that holds a great amount of respect and trust from the soldiers all the way up to the boss himself. Consiglieres are often times intelligent as they are the main advisor to the boss and are supposed to help the boss refrain from making any mistakes. Rank explanation - Underboss: This is the first rank of the so called "administration" of a mafia family. An underboss is the core middle-man between the boss and the captains as well as the soldiers. He is the official second-in-command and is selected for this position solely by the boss himself. An underboss also keeps an eye on what's taking place within the family. If any issues arise, he will either take care of it himself or forward the info to the boss so he can make a decision. Often times, an underbos is also responsible for collecting all the kick-ups from the captains and forwarding them to the boss. Rank explanation - Caporegime: Also known as capo or captain, this person is like a mini-boss of their own. They command a group of associates and soldiers who carry out orders, plans and day-to-day activities. Caporegime is also the first "administration" position. The group of associates and soldiers that a caporegime commands is often referred to as a "crew" or "faction". This rank is directly responsible to the underboss and boss. Rank explanation - Soldier: An inducted member of the family, also sometimes referred to as "wiseguy", "good fella" or "button man". When you become a soldier, you also become a "made man" which means that while you generate income you are untouchable without proper reason within the family. In older times, you would need both of your parents to be of Italian descent to become a soldier, however these days it is only required that you at least be of Italian descent from your father's side. Often times a soldier will run their own crew of associates or have some under their wing and reporting directly to them. Soldiers report to and kick up to a caporegime/captain/capo who is a highly respected member within the family. Associates and outsiders are supposed to treat soldiers and all the ranks above a soldier with immense respect. They are also given more information and know more about the inner machinations of the family. Soldiers are also meant to be teachers to all the associates looking to become someone. Soldiers will often teach an associate the ropes, tell them what to do and not to do, who is important and who is not. Rank explanation - Associate: Introductory rank where a criminal needs to prove his worth and value to the family. An alternate way of referring to an associate is calling them "connected". Every associate has a soldier they report to, or in very rare instances the captain (caporegime) himself. You become an associate when a soldier notices your work and takes you under their wing. Being under their wing means that they will protect you (minimally) and help you run your schemes. From that point on, you are expected to pay a percentage of your illicit earnings to the soldier you report to. As an associate you are a worker bee for the family and also the go-to for all the dirty work that needs doing. Associates can be of any nationality, religion or ethnicity. While a soldier may coach and help an associate, the associate himself is not really protected within the criminal world and can be seen as "expendable" by his superiors. Becoming "Made": Being made is simply becoming a full member of your organization and a part of "this thing of ours". This means you are to be respected more and grants you a few privileges, as well as more responsibilities. Usually there is a ceremony for when a new criminal is initiated into their respective family, but the way it goes down varies differently between organizations. Soldiers also sometimes have their own crews of associates. Making money: Forget what you've been told about "honor" or "omerta" or any of those things. Today's mob is all about money, money and more money. The whole purpose is to make money. If you're a good earner with a cool head - you'll go far. If you idle around and do nothing - you'll be an associate forever. Now, how exactly do mobsters make their living? By any scheme they can muster up. Literally. You would be wrong to think that a true mafioso stops scheming for a minute. Sure, the ''mainstream'' ways of dealing dope, weapons and extorting businesses are there but it's much more. For example, you may get yourself running some sort of a scam, perhaps even set up your own illegal card game. If it makes money - it's good enough. If you are struggling to come up with anything, don't be afraid to ask others for advice. Kickups: This might be a little shock to some, but every mobster is supposed to give a cut of his earnings to the person he reports to in the family. Money goes up, shit goes down. Don't oversweat yourself, but make sure your envelope is solid if you want to impress fellow mafiosi. There are no minimum or maximum amount one needs to put in, however a super low amount may be taken as an insult. Vouching: One of the most important, if not THE most important piece of mob politics. Vouching is a process where one person puts in a word for another person while risking his reputation, or even his life in the process. If you vouch for someone, you are either giving them a boost and a good word to the higher-ups or you are saving them from some trouble they might have gotten into. However, you must remember that it comes with a risk, if you vouch for someone and they turn out to be someone very unreliable, or even a snitch - your ass is on the line too. Even for the fuck ups they make - your ass is on the line. This risk ensures that mobsters only risk their reputation and life only for something they know for sure is true. Vouching can also happen when someone recommends an associate to be inducted into the family. Opening the books: "The books" refer to the made man status. If someone tells you "the books are open" it means the family is allowing some associates to become soldiers. If someone tells you "the books are closed" it means that for the time being there's no way of becoming made. Traditionally, everyone in the family would be notified of this process in one way or the other and all members that are already made should not have any beefs with any of the associates getting a promotion, however it varies from family to family. Making your bones: Historically, this term refers to finding out if an associate that has been proposed for membership has what it takes. Making your bones meant murdering on behalf of the mob with no reward in mind other than proving yourself. However, since murder is a high risk these days and attracts a lot of unwanted attention, many LCN families have shifted to alternatives. For example, you may be asked to cripple another person in order to make your bones. Do note that in roleplay servers, most LCN factions do not actually adjust to realism on this point and may ask you to carry out a murder in order for this step to be completed. Chapter 3: Approaching an LCN faction Great, so you've created a decent character, you understand how things work. Time to join a faction of like-minded individuals. How you do this will either make or break your attempt. There are many correct ways and many incorrect ways, but I will dissect only two of more popular methods that are valid. Remember that there are many other ways as well if you are creative. So let's dive into it. Moneymaker route: This way requires most effort but it also guarantees the best chance of you being accepted with open arms. First of all, you should create a scheme and put it in action. As long as it makes money and it's realistic. You might be selling knock-off watches on the street, boosting cars, creating fake charities, anything works. When you have your operation up and running, you will want to hang out at places where the members of your faction hang out. Come there often, get drinks if it's a bar or a club or whatever. Get to know the people that frequent it, make yourself known. Maybe even let someone there "accidentally" know that you for example sell fake watches or something. Just as bad as you want to make money, so do other mafiosi. You will be probably checked out and approached by someone who is already connected, they'll try to take a bite of your action - let them. If you're under their protection, it's a good gateway in. Friendship route: This route has a lower success rate, but it is easier to perform. Again, you will need to go to a mob-infested neighborhood and hang out there often, make friends with the people around. Let it be known you're struggling, you're in need of work. Chances are, there will be a mobster who takes a liking to you and needs a guy to help with a scheme. Take it from there. Victim route: This primarily works for more established and somewhat wealthy characters. If you have a character who is getting their store shaken down for protection money, you may just pay the criminals in question just to get a way in. A lot of store owners are actually interested to pay the fee to the mob just so they could make friends in it, get help with all or any moneymaking schemes they have in mind, often involving their business or simply to get a loan that the bank isn't willing to give. Chapter 5: Mob Politics The world of La Cosa Nostra is a very political one, maybe more political and technical than any other criminal organization in the world. While the mob rules are broken on almost a daily basis, it’s rarely a given that the one breaking them will be punished, meanwhile the one that follows the rules to the letter might be on the receiving end of something they may not like. What makes it the way it is? Some mobsters are savvy and good at politics and influence. Others just aren’t. There is no clear cut ruleset you should follow in order to be good or bad at mob politics, oftentimes your fate will be decided for you, especially if you are a low ranking member. With that being said, it is a game of who you know, what evidence you have, what reputation you have and how much money you bring in for your borgata. Yes, money you kick up has a factor here as well. If you are keeping your bosses’ pockets fat, they will be less inclined to rule against you in a sit down, though do not expect them to always rule your way. Knowing how much treachery there is in the life, one must always keep their ears and minds open to what is happening around them and interpret correctly, or else they will fall like many other mafiosi have. Politics also play a huge part in how certain situations could develop. For example, former Lucchese soldier John Pennisi mentions how he was not touched in a club brawl, just because a Genovese captain heard he was on his way to get inducted into the Lucchese crime family, and his name was passed around. Chapter 4: Pro-tips TIP #1: Do not use any non-local "slang" or Italian words. Majority of today's Italian-Americans couldn't speak Italian even if their life depended on it. TIP #2: Don't wait to be spoonfed, create your own schemes and roleplay. People like that are valued both on an IC and OOC level. TIP #3: Do NOT base your roleplay on ANY TV series, movies or any other form of pop media. TIP #4: Do not try to join by simply coming into a mob-run place and asking for jobs. You will most likely be dismissed and laughed at. (Exception is when you apply for a legit job that the place is recruiting for) TIP #5: Crime takes up only around 10 percent of a mobster's day-to-day lives. Make sure you showcase your character's personality and talk about regular shit like sports, politics, cars or anything else that guys chat about. TIP #6: Remember that every mobster knows that there are law enforcement agencies out to catch them. Be careful of how your character behaves if you don't want to be caught on your first day. You may even roleplay paranoid in some instances. TIP #7: Don't be afraid to ask. If you have ANY questions OOCly, contact one of the more known LCN RPers in the community, they are most often more than happy to help out and talk to you. TIP #8: Be creative. Creativity unlocks so many doors in this type of RP and it will also make your time RPing a mobster more fun not only for yourself but also those around you. TIP #9: If you want inspiration, take a look at respected LCN factions within the community, analyze their screenshots to get a boots-on-the-ground understanding and don't be afraid of not knowing everything from the get-go. TIP #10: If you want to learn more, read through Department of Justice reports or some newer articles on the mob. I will post some links down below. Chapter 5: Mothers, Women & Kids Though the typical mobsters tend to have full potential to be cruel scumbags to fellow wiseguys and other people, you'll often find them chivalrous and showing courtesy to women, even more than your average civilian in most cases. It goes back to the roots of how Italian-American families have always been. Starting with the household, these guys love their mothers more than anything in most cases. Remarking something off about a guy's mother is the stupidest thing you can do. These guys can butcher bodies, tear them apart without any sense of remorse, but when it comes to facing their mothers they're no better than little puppies. The scene in Goodfellas where the guys stop by Joe Pesci's mother's house, end up stopping by for food is a great example of this. Then there are wives. Most of these guys hold a great amount of respect and hospitality towards their wives. It's contradictory in the sense a lot of the wiseguys happen to have a girlfriend on the side. But that's for later. Whatever may the guys be doing outside, as soon as they step into the household? They make up to be reasonably good husbands. It's not often they'll curse or use profanity around a woman. They take good care of their wives and families, trying to be the best providers they can be. They don't deserve any prize, but just because of how the culture goes, they know for a fact their superiors in the criminal world wouldn't see a wiseguy the brightest too, if a guy cannot keep his family situation in control of his ability, and let it spiral out. For this reason, the connected guys know they have to keep their wives happy however they can. For some wives, it could be expecting anything materialistic from time to time, be it jewelry or expensive clothing. While some expect and hope for their husband to be home every day for their dinner. It's a woman to woman thing, but the guys usually try and live up to it. Reason being simple, they have enough on their plate all day at work, they don't expect and want another headache once they're home. But at the end of the day? Just like anybody else, guys aren't an exception from the usual problems a married couple could have. There's always problems they deal with as a man of the house. It can be any little problem that every other parent faces, but possibly magnified because they're likely to be out of the loop being busy with their own work until it becomes a major problem or hearing somebody else. They may have overdue bills, kids dabbling in drugs, dropping out of schools, in-laws that could possibly be pestering them, and of course wives could be naggy too. The woman usually handles household work, and looks after the kids, though the pressure could be felt. Though these guys come over society's conventions and live scandalous lives, murder people left and right, when it comes to marriage and family they're not much different like anybody else. Arguements over dinner, spending of money, disagreements with kids, indifferent sex. Now speaking of girlfriends, it ties to the roots of the mobster lifestyle. Being unfaithful. And there's a plethora of women out there who are attracted to this lifestyle, aggressive and available. To add to this, wiseguys usually socialize a lot more than civilians. Be it in their forties or fifties, they are always involved in something social. Be it having dinner with their family, helping kids to bed, kissing their wives, then going out again for a few hours, nightclubs, bars, fanciest restaurants. It's a natural human tendency to be drawn to anything they're surrounded by every night, which in a lot of cases happen to be charming women. They succumb to these temptations, so that they can go home and keep things calm in their household. If not all, most wives of connected guys completely know what's going on in their shadows. They know what they signed their lives for when tying the knot. The woman usually knows not to ask about business and what goes on when he's out of the house. As long as one isn't sloppy and a complete jerk about the fact, not having his own house and family involved with other women, it usually doesn't grow to be a problem. Again, girlfriends can be another source of stress too. If the man had one woman busting his balls, now they're two or three. More problems to hear about and deal with. And speaking of girlfriends, the easiest way to earn yourself a trip is to mess with a connected guy's girlfriend, wife, or daughter. Possibly the stupidest thing one can do which is extremely hard to recover from. Even if a wiseguy would've broken up with somebody, it's only for one's best to still run off of her like she's caught the clap. Find somebody else, period. Again as always, unwritten rules but the consequences are extreme. Chapter 6: Friends & Relationships Connected guys spend time day in and out with each other. They might be playing cards, hanging out in their favorite joints, games of pool, hug and kiss each other like brothers, attend other guys' family meets, kids' birthdays. Interestingly enough, they care about each others’ family as their own, not hesitating when it comes to pulling an errand or two for them if a guy can’t be there or do it himself for any reason. Now naturally, one could easily say they're like /friends/. But that's one analogy to be not mistaken by. You have no friends. You can't afford to be or have one. Being a friend in its literal meaning could be trusting anybody to their fullest, sharing all the thoughts going in your head to them. But in the life, it can mean being vulnerable. Now naturally, guys get close to each other. They are all friendly, sharing laughs and having a good time, but not friends. The reason being, the word 'friend' has value less than a grain of salt when you're asked by your higher to take the apparent 'friend' out. As a matter of fact, the guy who might kill you is likely going to be the one closest to you. That's what you can count a 'friend' for in the life. So in general, the guys are lonely for the most part. When they're with their family, they might want to be with their girlfriends. When they're with them, it may be they want to be with other girlfriends. When they're with the other ones, and at this point they're likely thinking to be with other wiseguys. Now again, drawing to the point being with wiseguys they worry about being whacked. To put it simply, they don't make any effort whatsoever to make deep connection with anybody. You don't often see them ever open up fully. They spend most of their time happily running their schemes, cheat & kill people. It comes back to the nature of work. The only ones they can trust is their own self. Again, all of the above only serves to be the typical behaviour and mindset. It should in no way restrict you from getting creative with your character and have a few traits out of the norm. Chapter 7: Going to "College" Going to prison, for someone dedicated to a life in organized crime is not unexpected. While your feelings going in may vary between characters (Some being more frightened than others), prison can be one of the most rewarding things for your character. Very rarely will you receive a better chance to forge connections with other gangs and characters. This section will go into some information about both GTAW’s prison system specifically as well as general information on how to conduct yourself realistically in prison. Prison systems in the United States, especially on the west coast are self segregated by race. This is especially true on GTAW and pretty common knowledge in the general populous. This segregation is enforced by the two main prison gangs, The Ayran Brotherhood and The Mexican Mafia through their various surrogate gangs. This leads into the very first rule of prison RP. Don’t piss off the prison gangs. Now, this rule serves as a guiding line. Not only is it a sure fire way to get your ass in trouble, it’s also wildly unrealistic. You are in their house and your character would be very aware of this. You are no longer on the streets and your character would quickly begin to understand that the guards are there to keep you in the jail, not to protect you from each other. However, this is and ends IC, OOCly the county jail has a strong OOC community. Leading to the second rule of prison RP. Always join the prison discord, participate in jail events. Upon entering prison on GTAW, request an invite link to the inmate discord. Because of the wide variations in playtimes, it’s not always easy to have a set schedule. To work around this the LSSD discord has an inmate channel used for the OOC coordination of events like work details, canteen time and general RP around the cellblock. Many people make the mistake of never joining the discord and miss out on these events, leading to them getting the wrong impression about the jails RP. I actually recommend spending a longer amount of time in jail if it means you get to experience the events. Don’t RP a know it all. A lot of guys think because they are experienced street criminals, that their knowledge would transfer over to jail. This is just not true, your first time in prison is your first time in prison. It’s ok to admit this to others in prison and by doing so it lets the prison's lifer population give you the best experience possible. It’s ok to RP a newbie, they’ll show you the ropes IC. Chapter 8: Murder Murder is an inevitable part of the life, but it isn't like it is portrayed in the movies. There are quite a few things to know about ordering or performing a hit. So, first of all, every wiseguy knows that in today's world it is quite easy to get caught for killing someone and then you're off the street for a while. That's why it happens rarely these days, but when it has to happen, all cards have to be played perfectly. Ordering a hit: There are two main keys to ordering a hit. First off, who is the target. If the target's a made man, you must have a very strong reason for their death. If they're a petty associate that causes you issues? You still need permission, but it's far easier to acquire. Murder of a soldier or any rank above without the OK of the boss is a deadly sin, there is no way one can slither out of that. Once you've got the ability to get rid of someone, you need to pick who will do it. Usually it's an associate looking to prove himself, or a soldier who's ready to follow orders or is close to the target. When you order a hit, you have to be vague in case someone's listening and also you can't give any details to the assassin. Once you've given the order, your job's done. Performing a hit: You've been given an order to kill. So how do you go about it? This really depends on your character. If your character is street smart or smart in general, he will want to do it quietly and make sure the body's never ever found. If your character's a meathead who snorts a few lines to start his day he might actually do a messy murder that will land him in prison. If your character is paranoid, he might take tons of extra steps to make sure no evidence is left behind and after the job he'll still be going crazy that he might've skipped something. There are many ways of performing a hit and it's up to you and your creativity how to carry it out. Mental toll: One of the most eye-poking mistakes is mobster characters who are cold-blooded killers. Sure, there are those people that are complete psychopaths, but that comes with a cost too and it is difficult to even portray properly. You must really think about your character and his background when you consider what mental toll a murder will take on him. Killing a person in real life isn't like shooting an enemy in a video game. Depending on who your character murdered, he will most likely be having nightmares, maybe even develop a constant never-ending fear of getting caught, he might fall into depression, he might start taking drugs to numb the trauma of having to take a life. Roleplaying impacts of this is both good roleplay and good character development. Shelving: One of the most commonly used alternatives to solve internal issues without murder is to shelf people. Shelving means that once a mobster breaks the rules or upsets his superior, he is shunned from all of the family's activities. Fellow mobsters are ordered to not do any business with you, to not even talk to you. You're no longer connected and you mean nothing. Although, there have been many instances where mobsters are brought back in from their shelf periods. Remember, that in LCN factions you shouldn't go around murdering people - try ALL other alternatives first. It's insanely difficult to get away with a murder in 2021. Chapter 9: Modernization 90 percent of the information that you will stumble into about the mob online are heavily outdated. Especially documentaries. It is important for you to understand the modern-day LCN landscape. Even the dumbest of mafiosi know that they're being watched and that everything they do can be easily traced. Everyone in the life is trained on how to take basic measures to ward away attention. Even the schemes themselves have changed. Mafia went from running numbers on the streets into online casinos, from driving around with a few hookers in the car to craigslist adverts for "escorts" and more! When thinking of a scheme, carefully think out if that scheme would work in 2021 and what's the most modern way of doing it? What's the safest way? Chapter 10: Applying the knowledge It is important to note that considering the fact LCN is a criminal society, there are no handbooks being handed out to new members. When criminals get hooked up with the mob, they don’t know every single mechanic until way later. How do they learn? Through experience. Nobody tells you what’s right or wrong, outside of the criminal’s mentors as well as the higher ranking members while you are an associate. While in some instances criminals do read internet sources as well as books on the topic of LCN, a lot of them come into the game by a learn-as-you-go method. Therefore, you should take into account the learning process for your character. Another important thing to note is that generally, RPing a know-it-all is mostly frowned upon by most mob factions and you should make your character a real living, breathing person. USEFUL LINKS: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/nyregion/10mob.html https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/10-bronx-and-westchester-based-members-and-associates-gambino-crime-family-indicted https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/seven-members-and-associates-gambino-and-bonanno-crime-families-indicted-racketeering https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2uSLdAAa4UEp_3ZpFElgfA/videos https://aboutthemafia.com/ http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=8&page=1 http://theblackhand.club/forum/ https://thenewyorkmafia.com/ CREDITS: @Copa Cabana; @Flow; @Henning;

This thread will follow the developments of Peter Moro.

Vincent Paglia was born in 1999 and used to live his entire life with his mother. He moved to Los Santos to live with his uncle Daniel Bechara and attempt to pursue his career in soccer. His main goal on moving to his uncle's house is to avoid following the steps of his dead father, Joseph Paglia a known mob assosciate that was killed in the early 00's in a violent hit. Despite coming to Los Santos full of good intentions it will be hard for Vincent to balance his own life with the luxurious and dangerous lifestyle of his uncle, also a known mob associate under the Martorano Crime Family. The goal of this thread is to show the development of Vincent Paglia and his struggle to keep the head down and focused while living with a violent convicted criminal as his uncle.

Anthony "Fat Ant" Auferi

POLICE REPORT CASE FILE #1442 Milwaukee Police Department Organized Crime Task Force John Cusumano DoB: March 6th, 1972 (47) Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Affiliation: Balistrieri crime family, Chicago Outfit John Cusumano was born March 6th, 1972 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cusumano’s Father, Charlie Cusumano was a known made man for the Balistrieri crime family. Charlie Cusumano would go on to be killed by the Chicago outfit after an altercation with a made man from Chicago in the Fall of 1978, From that point forward John and his brother joey would grow up under the watchful eye of Frank Balistrieri the boss of the Milwaukee branch of the Chicago outfit and a major figure in the Las Venturas skimming operations of the 1980’s. Under the wing of Frank Balistrieri John Cusumano began working his way up in the world of organized crime. First as a runner for a sports betting operation run by one of Balistrieri’s two sons when he was seventeen. Soon John would become an Enforcer for the sports betting operation, specializing in collecting items that had been wagered as bets. In 1991 John Cusumano and two associates were arrested while attempting to flee the scene of a bank robbery. Their driver had fled the scene after mistaking the sirens of a passing ambulance for police surrounding the bank. John at the age of 19 would be sentenced to 7 years in prison and would be incarcerated at Waupun Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin. When John Cusumano was released in 1998 the Balistrieri Crime Family was no more. Following the death of Frank Balistrieri in 1993 the Chicago outfit had quickly carved up the territory formerly controlled by Balistrieri. With nothing left when he returned, John Cusumano vanished off police radar shorty after leaving Parole. July 2019 - Los Santos John After over a decade off the radar was recently cited in a Police report filed by the Los Santos Police Department in early July, 2019. Officer reported him riding as a passenger in a car that had been pulled over during a routine traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle was then later detained by officers in connection to a recent homicide in the area.

Name: Thomas ‘Sunshine’ Alo Age: 42 Ethnicity: Italian-American Height: 6’2 Build: Broad Tattoos: Three, one on his right arm of Mother Mary and on the other arm a portrait of his wife, Maria. One around his neck with his USMC dogtags. Personality Thomas is known as being polite, calculated and patient - a rational thinker who tends to analyse all potential outcomes. Thomas is also a savvy businessman with hands in various ventures, by utilising his dynamic personality Thomas is able to appear as a considerate and valued business partner. Thomas has a crippling tobacco addiction, it is rare to ever find him without a cigarette in his hand, his preference being set to Marlboro Gold. Simultaneously, Thomas is incredibly ruthless - not shying away from getting his hands dirty. Possessing an intimidating physique and demeanor, Thomas has been known to assert himself in recent situations as a reliable and stoic man. History Born in Alderney, Liberty City. Alo is the son of a local gym owner Frank Alo who is said to have ties to the Pegorino Crime Family in Liberty City. After finishing high school, Alo worked as a mechanic for several years whilst simultaneously functioning as an associate of the Pegorino family in Liberty City. This was also around the time when Alo married his high-school sweetheart ‘Maria’ - However, around 1996-1997, Alo decided to leave his role as a mechanic entirely to work for the Pegorino family as upon welcoming his daughter into the world, he had to find more avenues of income. Alo, already building a reputation for his quirky money-making schemes became quickly acquainted with notable figures in the Pegorino family such as Joey Pegorino. By 1998, the Pegorino family had become engaged in a three-way gang war with the Sindacco and Forelli families. The hostilities lead to Jimmy Pegorino - the boss of the Pegorino family being arrested, the assassination of the Forelli-controlled Mayor Roger C. Hole, the death of Sindacco family Don Paulie Sindacco and the massive bombing and destruction of Fort Staunton. The Pegorino family was significantly weakened by this, it was further devestated by the arrest of Jimmy Pegorino and the unwillingness of Joey Pegorino to lead. The subsequent death of Jimmy Pegorino lead to further dismay within the family, encouraging many to depart to other families and ventures. Taking this opportunity, Alo decided to migrate to Chicago to raise his family and resume his work as a mechanic. During this time, Alo was also chopping stolen vehicles in order to further his income and through this he made another connection with a Chicago based crime organisation, however the extent of Alo’s involvement was limited due to his concentration being given to his family and daughter. In 2001, Alo decided to sign up for the USMC and was sent away to Afghanistan, for a standard one-year tour. Not accustomed to the extensive discipline, Alo had a difficult time initially adjusting in the Corps but eventually found his own place. Whilst at the Corps, Alo made a few dear friends with whom he still maintains contact with now. To commemmorate his short-lived time in the USMC, Alo has his dogtags displayed as a tattoo around his neck. Present-Day By the year 2015 - after the death of his wife Maria, Alo again looked to move elsewhere. Alo’s daughter was now old enough and away to college, this lead to Thomas heading to Los Santos where he quickly became acquainted with Frank ‘Icarus’ Russo - an associate of the Clinton Avenue Crew. The two quickly became great friends, and began collaborating on various schemes and businesses together such as; Waste Management, Pornography and even extortion. Through Frank, Alo then became acquainted with a mobster named ‘Roy Capra’ who anointed him with the moniker of ‘Sunshine’ due to his quick wit and intelligence. Alo now works with Roy Capra within the Clinton Avenue Crew. Recognizing the vast opportunity in LS, Alo decided to make a bold move and create an online-casino with the help of a long-term associate 'Kevin O'Keeffe'. The financial output from this avenue was immense and quickly proppelled Alo into a great earner, earning him significant respect and reliability within the crew. After time has passed within the Clinton Avenue Crew, Alo has now asserted himself as a reliable and respected member of the organisation falling under the radar of the 'Capo'; Salvatore Lena. Alo now functions as the right-hand man of Roy Capra as well as the personal driver of Salvatore Lena. After building a name for himself within the Clinton Avenue Crew, Thomas Alo was formally put 'on-record' with the Capo; 'Salvatore Lena'. Over time, after building a reputation of loyalty, dilligence and an overall stoic individual - Thomas Alo was nominated for membership by his friend, Roy Capra who was an influencial and respected figure within the Clinton Avenue Crew. After being directly involved in the assassination of Anthony Scutari & Benito Fallone - Thomas asserted himself as a solid individual and was quickly propelled into the rank of Soldier within what is now the Los Santos Crime Family and was a made man. Family Frank Alo - Father [Deceased] Mary Alo - Mother [Deceased] Alexander Alo - Brother [Alive] Dominic Alo - Nephew [Alive] Maria Alo - Wife [Deceased] Lisa Alo - Daughter [Alive] Gallery